Emmy winner Patrika Darbo chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about her upcoming NATAS Gold Circle recognition and her guest spot on “The Young and The Restless.”
These exceptional and inspirational professionals are honored in the Gold & Silver Circle Honor Society for making an enduring contribution to the vitality of the industry and for setting standards we all hope to emulate.
NATAS Gold Circle Award
Darbo will be recognized as a NATAS Gold Circle Award winner for 50 years of achievement in the daytime television community. “That feels wonderful to be acknowledged by the industry. It really is,” she underscored.
“I’ve worked hard all my life for this, and it’s so interesting to me, because I’m that short little, fat girl who came from Georgia wanting to be an actor. I never even dreamed of doing soaps beyond maybe having a minor role, where I was bringing someone a beer and peanuts, adjusting a wig, or doing something small like that,” she elaborated.
“To have the last 20 years of my career blessed with so much recognition in daytime television has been truly thrilling,” she admitted.
“Even the disappointment of losing the Emmy because of what I felt was mismanagement on the producers’ side of the show, and them not properly vetting it, hasn’t taken away from how grateful I am,” she noted.
“As I said, being acknowledged is wonderful. And the most important thing is getting to meet all the great people I’ve had in my life. It has been just a wonderful journey, and I am still on that train moving forward. It has been wonderful,” she added.
‘The Young and The Restless’
Presently, she had a guest star role on “The Young and The Restless,” where she is reviving her character, Shirley Spectra from “The Bold and The Beautiful,” the on-screen grandmother of Courtney Hope’s character.
“That was a blessing, and I really owe it all to Courtney Hope because she wanted her family there. She insisted, saying, ‘Please, I need my family there,’ and that gave me the opportunity to come back. Unfortunately, the original Coco wasn’t able to be there, but the new young actress who played her was amazing,” Darbo elaborated.
“It was a great experience. I’ve known so many of those people for a long time, so being welcomed back to the set by the cast and crew was terrific. It was just another blessing in my life, and I appreciate it very much,” she noted.
“If that weren’t enough, the little baby was so cute,” she added.
Working with Courtney Hope
On working with Courtney Hope on “The Young and The Restless,” she said, “Courtney and I go back to when we first started working together on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful.’ She knew I was very involved in my role as a Governor of the Television Academy, along with various other things, and she told me she really wanted to learn more about that side of the business. So, I brought her into the Performance Executive Group, which she has been a part of.”
“Courtney is such a versatile young actress. She is involved in everything, and she’s so good at everything she does. Now she even has a little farm and raises chickens,” Darbo noted.
Darbo also got the chance to work with many other cast members in addition to Hope. “I got to work with everyone at the party downstairs, where we were all dancing and having a good time. It was great to see everybody there. I’ve known Christian LeBlanc for ages, too, so it felt like an old homecoming. It was really terrific,” she admitted.
Message for her fans
For her fans and supporters, Darbo expressed, “I love each and every one of them. I don’t think enough actors realize that their fans are what keep them going. Whether it’s ‘Days of Our Lives,’ ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ or ‘The Young and the Restless,’ I’ve received such wonderful feedback from viewers.”
“Fans of ‘Days of Our Lives’ want to know when I’m coming back because I need to straighten out my other daughter, who is being a pill,” she said with a sweet laugh. “Sometimes, it’s hard to explain to them that we actors don’t have a choice. We’re either hired to do something or we’re not. I can’t just announce that I’m going back to ‘Days of Our Lives’ or ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ whenever I want.”
“We are kind of like one of those chickens… they pull us out when they need us, and that’s when we go to work! It’s crazy,” Darbo concluded.
To learn more about Emmy winner Patrika Darbo, follow her on Instagram.
